Friday, October 22, 2004
Swift Boat Veterans for Scotch
All right, J. Let's go point-by-point through the Swift Boat Veterans.
I think this is a loser for SBVT and the right, because I think Kerry's record in Vietnam pretty much speaks for itself. I'd recommend reading Kerry's Silver Star commendation, and challenge Jody and anyone else to find anything in George W. Bush's records that suggests that sort of heroism. But, point-by-point:
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I think this is a loser for SBVT and the right, because I think Kerry's record in Vietnam pretty much speaks for itself. I'd recommend reading Kerry's Silver Star commendation, and challenge Jody and anyone else to find anything in George W. Bush's records that suggests that sort of heroism. But, point-by-point:
- Here's how Kerry was in Cambodia on Christmas. On this issue, I frankly don't care whether he was across the line or not. But it's worth noting that John O'Neill seems to have made a few trips to Cambodia himself. And surely he wouldn't lie to Richard Nixon!
- Aid and comfort's a losing argument--Eugene Volokh has a discussion of this in a different context here. The money quote: "'aid or comfort' must have been understood to mean actions intended to help the enemy that actually gave it aid, and not simply actions that had the effect of helping the enemy but that were motivated solely by a sincere desire to help the United States save lives or prevent the United States from acting immorally, rather than by a desire to help the enemy win."
Bottom line on this for me--Kerry was fighting in a war that could not be won. He served honorably and well, then returned to the United States and did everything he could to convince people that the war could not be won. This probably did make life worse for American POWs. It also probably helped America get out of there sooner than they otherwise might have. I don't think I can judge the balance here; I've never had to make that kind of decision. But it seems pretty clear to me that Kerry was not motivated by a desire to help the VC, or by Communist sympathies, or whatever--remember, this is the same Kerry who chased a VC down and shot him in the head before he could fire a rocket at his boat. Using the phrase "aid and comfort" is intended to suggest treason. Kerry wasn't a traitor by a long shot.
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